Visions of you
by EleganceUnbounded
Summary: A dream of a certain person leaves Chihaya confused with her emotions towards her two childhood friends.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! This is my second fanfic and I really enjoyed writing this. A little thing I should note on though is that I am Scottish so some words will be different to American ones. Italics show thoughts from Chihayas pov. **

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><p>The tatami mat was rough underneath my knees, the abrasiveness adding to the whole experience of Karuta. I strained my ears, eager to catch the first syllables of the next poem.<p>

''As-''

My hand shot forward, instantly reacting and reaching towards the pairing card, however my arm wasn't the same. A short arm with plump fingers wavered over the cards. Confused, I looked up to my opponent. He had taken advantage of my hesitation, the card that was now plastered against the wall was proof enough. He raised his gaze to meet mine. Blue eyes as clear as a crystal ocean stared at me from behind dark glasses, exhilaration sparkling in their depths. He was young, much younger than he should have been, but then again, wasn't I?

''Everything alright, Chihaya?'' His lyrical voice was like music to my ears. I tried to reply but the words got lost somewhere in my throat.

Suddenly he aged. His childish figure elongated until the face of a 16 year old peered at me with those same eyes. His hair was no longer a short crop, it was slightly longer, his fringe framing his face perfectly.

''Chihaya?'' He leaned forward on one arm, the other outstretched to touch my face. Anxiety laced through his voice which was now a rich deep bass.

When I dropped my gaze towards my arm, they too were no longer childish but long and elegant, my fingers splayed on the mat below me. When his fingers touched my face I shivered. He chuckled softly,

''You're not running one of your fevers again are you?'' His head cocked to the side in amusement.

All I could do was shake my head, my words still refusing to be spoken.

''Your face feels hot though, you sure?'' He was suddenly a few scant inches from my face, his azure eyes close enough to see the dark lashes surrounding them. His breath was nice and cool on my face, which I now noticed was feeling flushed. I leaned into the hand which had cupped my cheek, savouring the coolness.

His face gradually got closer until his forehead was pressed against my own. The closeness of his face to mine sparked emotions within me that I had never felt before. His eyes were closed, his lips parted. I couldn't help but stare at his lips, wondering what had come over me.

''I think its time to wake up now Chihaya.'' His words confused me, wake up?

_''-haya...wake...''_

He had backed of instantly, the coolness of his touch still faint on my cheek and forehead. He kept moving backwards, farther and farther, until he turned his back and was simply gone.

_''Chihaya? Chihaya!''_

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><p>Chihaya groaned as her eyelids fluttered open. A face floated in front of her fuzzy vision;<p>

''Arata?'' her voice was groggy and thick with sleep.

The face recoiled and she blinked to clear the fuzziness. Instead of the dark haired, blue eyed boy she expected; she was surprised to to see salmon pink hair and amber orbs instead.

''Oh, Taichi'' she yawned.

''She's awake? Chihaya! Are you alright?'' The concerned voice of Kana sounded somewhere behind Taichi.

''Oh Chihaya! You scared us, we were just practising a match and suddenly you had passed out!'' Her worried face appeared close to Taichi, she was clutching her hands together wringing them. Chihaya tried to move her head but her neck gave a protesting creak. She groaned again, rubbing at her neck and sitting up straighter against the wall.

''Thankfully you were so close to the wall, you would've really hurt yourself if you had been farther out on the floor. You should've seen Taichi though, I don't think I've ever seen him react so fast before!'' Taichi turned to glare at Kana but she paid no attention and just continued regaling Chihaya with her story, ''He was checking to see if you had a fever, pressing his forehead against yours and all that! I didn't know what was going on!''

Chihaya smiled at Kana and turned the smile to Taichi; ''Thank you.''

The slight wounded expression on Taichi's face instantly changed to one of relief; a slight blush painting his cheeks.

''No problem.''

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><p>The members of the Karuta club cleaned the room while Chihaya sat propped against the wall. She drank a bottle of water, relishing the relief it gave her parched throat. The sun had just began to set as the group left the club room, the sky was turning a vibrant hue of reds and golds. The group were all chatting excitedly except for Chihaya who had hung back slightly. She was immersed in her thoughts about the dream.<p>

_Why did I dream about him? _

Noticing that Chihaya was falling behind, Taichi turned on his heel and strode to her side. He waved a hand in front of her face when he noticed she was lost in thought.

_I haven't dreamt of him since I started high school, was it because of the text on my birthday? _

A hand waved in front of her eyes snapping her back to the present;

''Earth to Chihaya, come in Chihaya'' Taichi mocked playfully, he then added on a serious note, ''Are you sure you're OK Chihaya? You've been pretty out of it today.''

Chihaya looked up into his concerned amber eyes and smiled, ''I'm fine Taichi, just got a lot on my mind.''

He pondered over her words for a moment and ran his hand absent-mindedly through his hair.

''You can lean on me you know, if you're still feeling weak..or...yeah..you know...'' He trailed off, running his hand through his hair again. She just laughed inwardly.

_Typical Taichi, he's definitely a leader status. I wonder if he's this caring towards his girlfriend._

As soon as she thought it, she shook her head vigorously. Taichi however saw it as a refusal for his help. He flushed deeply with embarrassment, covering his face with a hand.

The group parted ways, ''Desk'' had left a while ago to catch a bus, Kana had continued walking and ''Porky'' had to take a different train. Before they had left Kana, she had whispered in Chihaya's ear, ''Phone me later 'kay?'' with that, she trotted off down the road, leaving a confused Chihaya behind.

The sky had turned a dusty navy and a few eager stars had already appeared, sparkling like little diamonds. A light breeze had picked up and caused an empty bottle of juice to roll across the platform. Chihaya and Taichi sat on a bench waiting for the train, they were the only ones on the platform and only an elderly lady sat on the platform across the tracks. The breeze ruffled Chihaya's hair, causing her to shiver slightly.

''Cold?'' Taichi asked, admiring how her hair lifted around her face before settling back into perfect order.

''Not really, just the breeze caught me off guard.'' She smiled brightly at her childhood friend.

Taichi seized the opportunity and lifted his arm as if to drape it across her shoulders, hoping to pull her closer to him. His arm was almost around her when a sharp trill startled both of them. Cursing, Taichi pulled the mobile phone from his pocket, sighed at the caller display and answered; ''Hello?''

Despite Chihaya's great hearing, she couldn't make out the other side of the conversation, but judging by the softness of the tone she concluded it must've been his girlfriend.

She felt both happy and annoyed at Taichi; happy that he had gotten himself a girlfriend, but annoyed that he didn't seem to care too much for her. Her mind began to wander back to her dream, to the coolness of Arata's touch, the closeness of his face. Her mind suddenly reminded her of the fact that it was actually Taichi that had felt her forehead but her dazed mind had told her it was Arata.

_What on earth does that mean?_

The train glided up to the platform and the doors swooshed open. She grabbed her bag and Taichi's, waving him off when he tried to reach for it and inclined her head towards the train carriage.

The train ride was fairly quiet, Chihaya thought more about her dream then decided to forget about it and think about the one thing she loved most, Karuta. She was just going through some of the cards in her minds eye when Taichi snapped his mobile closed. He heaved a ragged sigh and slipped the phone back into his pocket.

Chihaya wasn't sure whether to venture into asking if everything was alright. She could read his body language and right now it was saying, Don't ask.

The train pulled up to their stop and the two left towards their homes. There was an unnatural awkward silence between them and it made Chihaya uncomfortable. Before they parted ways, Taichi finally broke the silence; ''I'm thinking of breaking up with her.''

Chihaya hadn't been expecting that sort of outburst and stared at him with a mixture of shock and horror.

''What? Why?''

He turned to look at her, he looked tired and worn suddenly. ''It's complicated,'' was all he replied.

''Sounds to me like you're just running away.'' Indignation flared behind her eyes causing Taichi to shift uncomfortably.

''I...just can't explain it.'' He reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Chihaya's ear, ''Chihaya, I- I think...never mind.'' He dropped his hand and turned on his heel, turning his back on her and strode away, hiding the blush that had heated his face.

Chihaya stared at his retreating figure dumbstruck.

_What was that all about?_

She shook her head and headed home.

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><p>Later that evening, after a relaxing bath, Chihaya flopped down onto her bed. She felt exhausted, both mentally and physically. Just as she was about to switch her bedside lamp off, her mobile phone caught her eye and instantly a wave of guilt washed over her; she had forgotten to phone Kana. Glancing at the clock, she decided it was still a reasonable time.<p>

Kana picked up after the third ring, irritation present in her voice; ''Finally! I thought you had forgotten!'' Chihaya cringed at the fact that she almost had forgotten. She cleared her throat, ''So, what did you want me to phone you for?'' She was greeted with silence on the other end, she counted to ten before Kana replied cautiously, ''Who's Arata?''

Her stomach clenched although she had no idea why.

''He was a childhood friend of mine, Taichi's too. He had to move away to Fukui after Primary and I've only seen him once since then.''

Kana's soft voice floated down the line; ''And you dreamt of him today didn't you?''

Chihaya felt her face heat up, her mind reeling and contradicting the wave of emotions that flooded her at that instant. She mostly felt shame; the fact that she had dreamt of a boy, even with it being a childhood friend, she still felt ashamed of herself. Before she had a chance to agree or deny, Kana pressed on; ''But you know, Chihaya, there's nothing wrong with it. Although maybe it does mean something.''

Chihaya felt momentarily relieved at Kana's words then felt her suspicions grow again, ''Mean something?'' She repeated, hating the way her voice betrayed her uneasiness.

''They say that dreams are unconscious desires do they not?''

Chihaya was stunned. _Unconscious desires?_ Her blush heated up a notch as she remembered how close Arata had been to her face and how she had reacted and stared at his lips.

She wailed unintelligible garbles down the phone, which made Kana rethink and try to backtrack; ''I didn't mean it in a bad way Chihaya! I'd say it's something good, but if you don't really feel that way them I'm sorry I said something so _shameless_.'' She was beginning to panic and her voice cracked which made Chihaya sigh;

''Its alright Kana, I just think I need to think it over some more. Don't worry about it, I'll see you tomorrow ok?'' She heaved a great dollop of fake enthusiasm in her voice, hoping that Kana would buy it. Thankfully she did.

''Ok, Chihaya. I'll see you tomorrow.''

Chihaya closed the phone and draped an arm over her weary eyes. Her heart was thudding in her chest. A part of her wished that she wouldn't have another dream like that when she fell asleep.

But another small part of her did.

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><p><strong>That's it for now! I'm honestly not too sure whether to continue this or not, just depends on any inspiration I get. As you might have found out, I favour Arata over Taichi but I didn't want to make it completely Arata x Chihaya, which is why I added little Taichi moments too. I found it quite amusing how my spell checker tried to change Chihaya to Chihuahua xD Hope you enjoyed~<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello there! Apologies for the huge delay but here is a second chapter :] I haven't had much inspiration lately but thanks to the second season of Chihayafuru, it replenished enough for me to write this. I want to thank the people who kindly left reviews and follows, it means a lot :] Disclaimer: I do not own Chihayafuru or its characters. _

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><p>Sunlight filtered through the fiery red and rich golden leaves that lined the walkway towards Mizusawa High School. The students chatted excitedly, having just returned from a long weekend. Chihaya strode towards the huge wrought-iron gates with her Karuta t-shirt tucked messily into her skirt. She was completely oblivious to the stares and whispers of the other students.<p>

_Beauty in vain._

She was reciting some Karuta poems in her mind when she spotted Taichi. His salmon hair standing out from all the other students browns and blacks. Chihaya felt a little surge of happiness upon seeing her close friend, even though his behaviour had been a bit confusing as of late. He was fixed in conversation with a boy she didn't know and every so often he would flash one of his dazzling smiles as he laughed at something the other boy had said.

Confusion laced into the happiness she had felt just a moment ago as she recalled the conversation they had had last week.

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><p>Taichi had been engaged in a call, with his girlfriend, Chihaya had presumed at the time. He seemed to be agitated over something and had finally told Chihaya; ''I'm thinking of breaking up with her.''<p>

Chihaya was shocked as she didn't know where the sudden outburst had come from. Was he the type to get bored easily? When she questioned him on it, he simply shrugged it off as ''Complicated.'' Before striding off, leaving her alone with a million questions buzzing in her head.

He had been fairly distant since then, avoiding her and more worryingly, avoiding practice.

Panic crept into the jumble of emotions that was starting to take over Chihaya.

_Did I say something wrong?_

She shook her head and mentally slapped herself. She had had this conversation with herself since the day it happened. She decided that today would be the day she would get it all sorted.

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><p>The bell chimed for lunch and Chihaya started.<p>

Scraping her chair back, she flung herself towards the classroom door.

_Next class._

She reached Taichi's classroom and swung open the door; ''Taichi!''

Every eye in the classroom fixed on her and she felt her face go hot. Every eye except the amber ones she was looking for.

"He already left." Chihaya recognised the boy that Taichi had been walking with earlier. She spun on her heel, "Thanks!" She called over her shoulder as she raced down the corridor.

Her feet pounded against the laminate flooring. She ran so fast that people had to jump out of her way in fear of being barrelled over. She ran until something caught her attention in her peripheral vision. Stopping, she looked out the window and saw Taichi by the schools back gate. She ran.

oOo

Taichi shuffled uncomfortably as his girlfriends blue eyes filled with tears. He felt sick to his stomach and his hands felt horrible and sweaty. He swiped them on the leg of his trousers and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry I had to tell you it this way but that's the truth."

God, he felt awful.

Anger flashed in her watery eyes, "So that's it? You find someone else and just ditch me?" Her hands flexed and relaxed as she chewed over what Taichi had told her. He was in love with someone _else. _

"For how long?" She glared up at him. Her usually pretty face was contorted as a fresh wave of tears flowed down her blotched red cheeks.

Taichi tried to swallow but his mouth was as dry as a summer desert. "Uh, Um..." He faltered, "Before..." He swiped a hand through his hair.

_This is so awkward._

"_Before_?" She screeched the word and Taichi was almost glad he was splitting up with her. Now that he had seen this horrid side to her.

He looked into her eyes, "Yes, befo-"

"-Taichi!"

_Smack._

His words were cut short by a slap across his left cheek. He stood there, mouth agape in shock as his now Ex stormed away from him. He lifted his hand and tentatively touched his stinging cheek.

_Guess I deserved that_.

A scuff of shoes on the gravel made him turn around.

Chihaya stood before him, her golden eyes wide with shock. She looked a little disheveled; her usually sleek hair had fallen out of her ponytail and was hanging in wisps around her face and her cheeks were rosy with exertion. Despite this, she still looked beautiful in his eyes. She panted slightly, trying to catch her breath then opened her mouth as if to say something then closed it again. This happened a few times before Taichi sighed.

He strolled over to where she stood and planted himself in front of her. She glanced up at his face and he saw her zero in on the redness that was probably adorning his cheek by now.

oOo

Chihaya ran full pelt towards the school gate, she could see Taichi. He had his back to her and looked as though he was deep in conversation.

"Taichi!" She called before, _Slap!_

The noise echoed around the empty school yard and she froze in her tracks. Her eyes widened as she saw a small female storm away and Taichi hesitantly touch his cheek. He turned and met her eyes and she felt a little jolt go through her. She felt guilty having stumbled upon such a scene. He walked over to where she stood and he just stared at her. His left cheek was beginning to turn red.

She didn't know what to say. The guilt was bubbling inside of her until finally she said; "I'm sorry, this is because of me isn't it?"

An expression flitted over Taichi's face. One that she had never seen before.

She continued, "I shouldn't have called out like that, it must've startled her or something. Why else would your girlfriend slap you?" She laughed nervously and avoided his eyes, instead focusing her attention on the seemingly fascinating pattern on his tie.

"Ex." He said the word so softly she almost missed it.

"What?" She didn't dare to lift her gaze from his tie.

"Ex," He repeated; "We just broke up. And no, it wasn't because of you shouting out." It seemed as though he had more to say but when he didn't continue, Chihaya decided not to press. She had never had any experience with boys and relationships, so she struggled to think of something to say. She chewed her lip before saying; "I'm here if you need someone to talk to."

_That sounded like something a good friend would say, right?_

She could see a ghost of a smile on his lips, that disappeared almost instantly. He patted her on the head. His hands were hot and the pressure felt comforting, even though it really should've been herself giving the comfort. He started to walk away, leaving her standing alone and staring at the now empty path leading out of the school.

Her emotions warred with each other and she turned to see him walking away. His frame getting smaller and smaller. Before she knew what she was doing, her body was in motion. She ran towards him, clearing the distance in a good few strides. She grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him behind her. He protested and pulled against her but she ploughed on, pulling him along. They ran through the school; up sets of stairs and down corridors until they came to a set of sliding doors, the sign above displayed the word; Infirmary.

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><p>Chihaya flung the door open and began to rake through the cupboards, leaving Taichi standing in the doorway. She found success in one of the furthest cabinets and pulled out a first aid ice pack. She turned to see Taichi, who was still standing at the door. His expression was blank then his eyes travelled over the ice pack. Chihaya could almost hear the click as he finally put two and two together. He sniggered and swiped a hand across his face. He strolled into the infirmary and sat on one of the little stools, motioning to the stool opposite him for Chihaya to sit down. She complied and cracked the pack in her hands releasing the chemical and the pack went chilly.<p>

She lifted the pack and pressed it to his cheek. He winced but then relaxed as the coldness numbed the sting. The two sat in companionable silence. Chihaya held the pack on Taichi's cheek as his eyes slowly shut.

"Thank you," He murmured.

Chihaya smiled at her friend; "Any time."

Her phone chirped indicating a text message. Taichi tried to move away but Chihaya held the ice pack to his face.

"Its fine, I'll get it later."

Once again they fell into silence but this time Chihaya didn't feel worried. The aura around Taichi seemed lighter, like a weight had been lifted from him.

"You know," Chihaya began, "Everyone at the club has been pretty worried about you."

Taichi smiled but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Myself, mostly I think." His eyes fluttered open and caught hers, the amber orbs glinted underneath his long eyelashes like molten gold. She dropped her gaze to his knee.

He shifted on the stool, his knee brushing hers and he reached up, cupping his hand on top of hers that held the ice pack. He leaned into the ice pack and their hands.

Chihaya glanced up and was startled at the look in Taichi's eyes. "Don't say things that will get my hopes up."

He stood abruptly, his hair falling over his face. "Thanks for the ice pack." With that, he turned on his heel, leaving Chihaya staring after him open mouthed.

As she packed up her things a short while later, she pulled her blazer from her bag and saw something flashing in the dark depths of her school bag.

_The text_.

She pulled the device out, expecting the text to be from her sister or Kana. Her heart leapt into her throat when she read the senders name.

_Wataya Arata._

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><p><em>So there you have it! :] I haven't written in a while so it's great practice for me. I seem to favor Taichi in this chapter, most likely because of the little screen time that Arata receives in the anime. I may even be swaying more towards Taichi x Chihaya ? Who knows! Once again, thank you for the lovely reviews and hope you enjoyed this little chapter :] ~Christy<em>


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